Hands down the best turkey burger I’ve made to date. These will quickly become your go-to recipe. Conveniently double or triple, and freeze extra patties for a quick dinner. Wrap burgers in a lettuce wrap and top with desired toppings like tomato, onion, avocado or hummus.

Crispy, crunchy kale chips are a great addition and a healthier version of fries. You may want to make several batches to snack on after dinner or try them as an appetizer.

2. Toss dry kale pieces with olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper until well coated. Spread kale in one even layer onto a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven and cool a few minutes before eating. Sprinkle with additional sea salt and pepper if desired.

Power up with this quick and easy, complete meal-in-a-bowl. Eating lean protein at every meal, and some snacks, is a wonderful, healthy habit to practice. This substance food helps stabilize blood sugar, keep you fuller longer, reduce fatigue and balance hormone levels. What is a lean protein you ask? Well, chicken breasts (obviously used here), lean turkey & beef, quality fish like salmon, tilapia, cod, halibut, eggs, beans, nuts & seeds. I cooked my chicken breasts in a slow cooker on low during the day for 6-8 hours with sea salt, pepper and a little water for quick prep when I got home.

Creamy avocado, crunchy sunflower seeds and juicy blueberries pile a top fresh greens for a dynamic tasty salad. My husband has voiced a requirement that salads need to be “interesting”. I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of what defines “interesting”, but this salad received five stars from Klint. So, I guess I could have called them Interesting Chicken Power Bowls (just doesn’t have the same ring to it).

Whatever it takes to get people to eat vegetables, I’m game. Whether a name change is in order, swapping an ingredient, or adding a healthy dressing. I used a homemade lemon vinaigrette, but a homemade or good, light bottled balsamic would be great as well. Excellent post workout lunch or dinner!

Happy 2013! We made it to a new year, providing a great opportunity to do a month of recipe remakes. With all the makeovers of bodies, finances and schedules attempted this season I thought why not redo some classic dishes we all enjoy? An easy way to apply any resolutions made to continue, or start your healthy lifestyle journey. So, follow along this entire month for tools and tips to make your healthy goals a reality! (Without sacrificing flavor of course – that’s always a requirement of mine you know.)

Healthy cooking tip #1: Reduce the amount of meat in a recipe or bulk it up with the addition of beans; they are lean, mean fighting machines (or tasty nutritious fillers). Lean turkey or chicken sausage and reduced fat milk add to the renovation of this steamy bowl of goodness.

The original recipe adapted from PW’s at home version of Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana” serves 12, each serving ringing in at 430 calories, 27g fat and 12g sat fat. Delicious remake stats (same serving size) of my Tuscan Sausage, Kale & White Bean Soup came in at 260 calories, 8g fat and 3.5g sat fat. Again, I repeat no flavor was lost in the transformation, just waist enlarging calories.

Go ahead, now you can have your “Zuppa Toscana” at home and eat it too! (Gluten-free adaptations below.)

This recipe is more for after the big grateful day, “lighter” meal. And will give ample opportunity to use leftover turkey, possibly vegetables too. Or if you are a culinary rebel, make this dish the main feature of your holiday spread.

The soup uses my Perfect Herb Roasted Turkey Breasts from earlier this week. Feel free to substitute chicken breasts or turkey sausage would be lovely here as well. But, it’s hard to resist the roasted turkey with butternut squash and kale. A hearty, warm meal without the heavy feeling of a cream based soup.

If you haven’t tried quinoa yet (pronounced KEEN-WAH) this is the dish to start. You won’t believe how much flavor it contains with few ingredients. Easy to prepare in one pan and can be made ahead. Definitely going on my Thanksgiving menu this year, guarantee there won’t be any leftovers.

We had roasted turkey breasts with the quinoa a few nights ago, and leftovers last night. All the tastes complemented each other SO well. I seasoned the turkey breasts with dried rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper; then quickly pan seared the outsides and finished baking in the oven, covered, with leftover vegetable broth (to keep moist). Wow, it was delicious, divine, out of this world, and soooooo healthy.

Great side dish or main vegetarian course served warm, cold or room temperature. Quinoa lover or not, you’ll be hooked after this one, trust me.

1. In a large skillet (use one with a fitted lid for step 2), over medium to medium-high heat, sauté diced onion and butternut squash in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper until caramelized and cooked through; about 15-20 minutes. The last few minutes add garlic and stir frequently not to burn. Set aside in a glass bowl.

this is called too lazy to chop your own squash – it happens to us all

2. Using the same skillet (without cleaning) toast rinsed and drained quinoa for about 60 seconds; stirring constantly. Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook for about 1-2 minutes to reduce wine slightly. Add vegetable broth, cover and bring to a boil.

Cook quinoa for 15-20 minutes, stir and turn heat to low. Continue cooking, covered, until all liquid is absorbed, about 10 additional minutes. Stir in chopped kale with a fork while warm.

Okay, so I picked two for this week because I couldn’t decide. Hesitated on the second one, but it was too funny to leave out. Some of you might lower your standards of me, but hopefully it made you laugh.